CASNR Honors Distinguished Alumni

Six individuals honored for their contributions to society and career accomplishments in agriculture and natural resources.

Written by: Jessica Behnham

Texas Tech University’s College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (CASNR) recognized six distinguished alumni Feb. 16 at the Merket Alumni Center.
The award recognizes some of the college’s most outstanding alumni for significant contributions to society. Honorees also are selected for the distinction their accomplishments and careers have brought to the college and to careers associated with agriculture or natural resources.

The Recipients of the Distinguished Alumni Award:

Leon F. Neuenschwander received his Ph.D. in range management in 1976 from Texas Tech. Neuenschwander has served as professor, department chairman for Forest Resources and associate dean in the College of Forestry, Wildlife and Range Sciences at the University of Idaho. In 1995, he received the National Prescribed Fire Award for Excellence in Ecosystem Management from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) forest service. Neuenschwander and his wife reside in Pueblo, Colo. where he is a rancher.

Pat D. Taylor received his bachelor’s degree in 1967 and his master’s degree in 1969, both in park administration and landscape architecture from Texas Tech. Taylor serves as associate professor and director in the Program of Landscape Architecture at the University of Texas at Arlington. He currently resides in Arlington and serves as president of Taylor and Associates.

Z B Mayo received his Bachelor of Science degree in entomology in 1967 from Texas Tech. Mayo has been employed by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln since 1972. He currently serves as associate dean for the Agricultural Research Division. Mayo was named the Educational Administrator of the Year in 2008 by the National Association of Educational Office Professionals. Mayo resides in Lincoln, Neb.

Robert C. Albin received his bachelor’s and master’s in 1961 and 1962 from Texas Tech. Albin joined the Texas Tech faculty in 1967 and has held titles including assistant and associate professor, associate dean, interim dean and professor. Albin retired from the Department of Animal and Food Sciences in 2008. Albin and his wife, Donna, reside in Lubbock.

Don Ethridge received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in agricultural economics from Texas Tech in 1965 and 1967. Ethridge joined the Texas Tech faculty in 1981 after working for the USDA as an economist. Over his years at Texas Tech, Ethridge served as associate professor, chairman for the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics and director of the Cotton Economics Research Institute and associate director of CASNR Water Center. He retired in 2008 and lives in Lubbock with his wife, Kathie.

Quenna Lee Terry received her bachelor’s degree in agricultural communications from Texas Tech in 1993. Terry currently serves as a public affairs specialist for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in Texas for Zone 1. Terry also was a soil conservationist in Lubbock County for seven years. Terry and her husband, Mark, have one daughter and reside in Lubbock.